American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

We serve to advance the profession and practice of AOM

AAAOM is governed by an elected Board of Directors composed of four officers and the immediate past-president. The Executive Committee includes the president who serves as chair, the vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and immediate past-president. The executive director serves as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.

Responsibilities of the Board:

To position AAAOM to best serve all of its members and to maintain the focus and vision to improve the practice and management of acupuncture

To establish policy

To direct the activities of the elected officials, committees, and executive director

PRESIDENT

Anne has been in private practice since 1994 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She graduated from Midwest College in Chicago with an MSOM. She is the founder of Humanitarian Acupuncture Project, a non-profit whose mission is to help form TCM clinics in underserved countries. Her passion is to help integrate and collaborate the different aspects of the field. She has a strong background in five element teachings and classical Chinese medical studies. Her clinical specialties are infertility and oncology.

VICE PRESIDENT

Amanda received her Master’s of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in 2009 and completed clinical training at San Diego Hospice and Institute for Palliative Medicine, Rady's Children's Hospital, UCSD Free Clinic Project, and Tele-care. She is a doctoral candidate in Yo San University’s integrative medicine program specializing in healthy aging and longevity. She is passionate about the development of a competency based educational and professional development model and expanding workforce opportunities for acupuncturists in a variety of settings.

Aldo D’Aversa D.C., Dipl. O.M., C.C.E.P.

Secretary

Dr. Aldo D’Aversa is a chiropractor and a Chinese medicine doctor. He graduated from Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas, TX, and has taken various postgraduate courses, including Applied Kinesiology, Clinical Kinesiology, Acupuncture/Meridian Certificate, Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner (C.C.E.P.), Total Body Modification (TBM), Cranial Therapy, Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) and Neural Emotional Technique (NET); amassing over 10,000 hours of post-graduate study. He then traveled to China and studied at Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine in Harbin, China.

Dr. D'Aversa started teaching while he was a student; he became the “Technique Tutor” for the college, teaching all nine of the schools techniques. He has taught now for over 20 years, initially for recent graduates and also as a guest speaker at Logan College of Chiropractic and Parker College of Chiropractic. He now lectures on various topics for Acupuncturists and Chiropractors. His studies have allowed him to combine the western medical view with the Chinese methodology in the recognition of disease to form a vitalistic view of wellness.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Don Lee is an orthopedic acupuncturist who has extensive training and expertise in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. His general practice integrates acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western physical medicine and mind-body therapies, with an emphasis on pain management, nutrition, breathwork, and exercise. A diplomate of the National Board of Acupuncture Orthopedics, he also is board certified as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and, in 2008, he founded the Academy of Orthopedic Acupuncture. Among his professional activities, Don has served on the boards of both Yo San University and Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in Santa Monica, as well as the governing bodies of the National Board of Acupuncture Orthopedics and the California State Oriental Medical Association. As an educator, Don teaches graduate- and doctoral-level courses in orthopedics, electro-acupuncture, integrative therapies and composite diagnosis. Don maintains office practices in Santa Monica and Woodland Hills.

TREASURER

Carlos Chapa is a US Navy Veteran, proudly serving for over 5 years as a Marine Medic. He won numerous awards for his leadership roles and was nominated for Sailor of the Year. He worked as a Nurse Assistant in various Emergency Rooms and volunteered as a Paramedic for over 7 years. Carlos continued his Philosophy / Pre-med undergraduate studies, which included Korean & Chinese Languages. This eventually brought him to Asia where he was exposed to Acupuncture & Eastern Medicine first hand. Carlos graduated from Dongguk University in 2006 and was part of the first student group that was chosen to go to S. Korea to complete an externship at several Korean Hospitals. This scholarship / award was offered to Carlos due to his Leadership roles as the President of the student body. Since then, Carlos has completed several externships in S. Korea and China. He received his PhD in 2012 and continues to travel from Dallas to NYC and LA for advanced training.

Carlos created a Dallas / North Texas group where he has an active role in building relationships with fellow LAc's and is a proud member of the TAAOM, AAAOM, and NGAOM. His vision and mission statement is simple. United we stand, divided we fall.

With an MSTCM degree from ACTCM, Rhonda lends twenty years of experience in the AOM field, beginning with studies at the Shiatsu School of Canada and PCOM-SD. Licensed in California and New York, she has practiced TCM Obstetrics privately in Ithaca. Now residing in Kansas, one of six states that does not recognize and regulate the professional practice of AOM, Rhonda works collectively with Memorial Health System med-staff and administration for safe integration of AOM within the non-profit rural Kansas hospital, collaboratively improving outcomes in patients suffering from chronic pain in the presence of multiple comorbidities since February 2010.

She is passionate about policies that efficiently remove barriers to integrative AOM services, with ends to reduce intentional and accidental narcotic associated deaths and improve patient outcomes on all fronts.

Dr. Tian started his medical training in 1982 at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in China. He studied Western and Chinese Medicine for 6 years. He earned his Master and Ph.D. by working with Professor Dong Jian-hua for another 5 years. He worked in the Beijing University Hospital until 1997. Dr. Tian then moved to the United States where he has been teaching, practicing, and publishing on Chinese Medicine for over 18 years.

Dr. Tian also serves as a Committee member of CCAOM and SME member, site visitor, inspection specialist for ACAOM, and as a test writer for NCCAOM. He is the Chairman of TCM American Alumni Alliance (TCMAAA), President of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine American Alumni Association (BUCMAAA), President of American Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Director of Chinese Acupuncture and Herbs Center in Florida, and is the founder of the International TCM Alumni Association Alliance (ITCMAAA).